We take our hair for granted and day in, day out we see hair that has been badly treated. Here is our guide to the 7 deadly hair sins to avoid........

1. OVERWASHING

The scalp produces natural oils to keep our hair in the best condition so overwashing means those vital oils aren't getting to your hair. If you feel that you need to wash your hair daily due to your hair feeling too greasy it may be that you have brought it upon yourself as the more you wash, the more sebum (grease) your scalp will produce to try and rebalance the scalps natural pH level. Try and reduce the washing and wash every other day. You should after a couple of weeks begin to see your hair looking and feeling less greasy than before.

2. SILICONE

Found in most conditioners as it gives that beautiful shiny finish but found in higher quantities more so in "cheaper" supermarket products. Silicone smothers the hair and gives a false healthy feel to your hair and does not allow for natural oils to penetrate and nourish your hair. Switch to a salon brand and after a couple of weeks you will notice a difference. If your hair feels rough to begin with, that is because the silicone layer has been washed away. Bear with it.....

3. TOO MUCH OIL

We occasionally see clients who come in with coconut/argan/Moroccan oil saturating their hair. Why would you do that? Would you walk anywhere out of your house with a face mask on? No, I don't think so. It is totally unnecessary. Use oil sparingly.

4. BRUSHING WET HAIR

No, no, no.......just no. Don't do it. Hair is very elastic when wet and it will stretch and snap! Wet brushes are ok but traditional hairbrushes are a complete no no.

5. BALAYAGE, OMBRE, OR HIGHLIGHTS AT HOME

We didn't study for years to do what we do. Hairdressing is a skill. We don't stock 200+ different colour shades for no reason. Everyone has different hair so we pick colours to work with your hair type. A kit bought off the shelf is never going to end well, unless of course you want to look like a tiger with stripey, orange hair and a £200+ bill from the hairdressers to fix it. That's if it can be fixed. If it can't be fixed, you could always wear a hat 24/7. I mean hats are cool aren't they!

6. CUTTING YOUR OWN FRINGE

This in general has 3 possible outcomes-

Too short at the sides, so you snip a bit more in the middle and then oh dear you look like you did in your Year 5 school photo (never mind you can clip it back for 6 months)

You cut too close to your face and whoops, before you know it you've sliced a bit of your eyebrow as well. You tell yourself nobody will notice

One side is longer than the other. This is very common.

We offer free fringe trims so just pop in the salon!!

7. HEAT

The most deadly of the hair sins. If you use a hairdryer then you must use a heat protector and if you use hot tools (irons, tongs etc) then you must use thermal protector. The 2 products are different so a heat protector won't necessarily protect from your irons. Ask us to show you next time you're in.

Head and Shoulders is one of our favourite products. As hairdressers, the worst thing we can hear from a client is "I bought a box of hair dye from the supermarket and it's gone too dark." Colouring your hair yourself can sometimes be cost effective but more often than not, it will end up costing you more in the long run trying to get it fixed if it goes wrong.This is until we discovered the wonderful product that is Head and Shoulders. Not only will it "remove visible flakes" it will also help remove visible hair colour. Yes that's right, we recommend this to clients to REMOVE their colour!!! Head and shoulders is designed to remove flakes from the hair. It is an exfoliant and the shampoo unfortunately isn't intelligent enough to distinguish if its washing scalp or washing hair colour. It will exfoliate both!!

Another product we love (I hope you can tell we're being sarcastic now) is a good old 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner. These claim to shampoo and condition your hair at the same time. To us as hairdressers this makes no sense at all. It makes as much sense as wall paint containing paint stripper. If we explain briefly to you how a shampoo works.......

The hair is made up of 3 layers. The medulla (not everyone has this and it is generally found in afro caribbean hair), the cortex (where the colour pigment is found) and the cuticle (which is the hairs' protective layer.)

Shampoo is designed to open the cuticle as it is negatively charge. The cleansing part of the shampoo then does its stuff, cleansing the dirt and product build up out. You then rinse the hair. If you do not use conditioner at this stage then this is why your hair feels rough (because the cuticle is still open. Conditioner is positively charged so will close the cuticle again. It smooths it leaving shiny and soft feeling. So if you use a 2 in 1 product, surely they are fighting against each other.....

So the moral of this story is to make sure that you buy professional products which are designed to work in conjunction with your hair colour. We have available Wella, System Professional and Sassoon products in our salon as we use Wella colours. The products have been developed to work with your colour not against it.

System Professional have created one of the best product ranges on the market that is deisgned for your specific hair type. Follow THIS LINK to discover your hair energy code and visit us in salon for your free samples*

Wedding season is in full flow right now, so much so that we have put together a bridal hair team that specialise in wedding hair from the time you start planning ideas right through to the big day.

As a salon, we do not charge extra just because you are getting married as a lot of salons do. We charge for the time taken with you (currently £60 per stylist per hour). The average wedding trial will take 40 - 60 mins (£40-£60) and your hair on the day (depending on the style) will take about one hour.

So what do you need to bear in mind when planning your hair for your wedding? Here is a step by step timeline to help you achieve your dream hair

1 year before - If you are considering a dramatic colour change or change in length you will need to give your hairdresser as much notice as possible. For example if you have jet black hair right now and want to be platinum blonde then you are going to need to be paying a lot of visits to us to acheive the colour you want. Also if you are wanting to grow your hair, we can get you started on a regime with regular treatments and trims.

6 months before - Book in your wedding hair with us. We take bookings 6 months in advance.

13 weeks before - Hair colour appointment - make sure you have your highlights or colour done at this point to make sure that you are happy with the colour. This allows for us to make any tweaks on your next appointment to your colour. Make sure you have a nice trim as well and treat yourself to a luxury hair treatment. Also it is great time to have a wedding hair trial.

7 weeks before - Hair colour appointment, hair treatment and haircut. Discuss with your stylist any new ideas you have for your hairstyle for your big day.

4 weeks before - If you are getting married in a hot country and your hair is likely to go crazy in the humidity, then Nano Keratin is a great treatment to have as it will help smooth your hair and keep it under control

3 weeks before - Have an additional wedding trial if required. We will also look to see if you need a small haircut. We do not like to cut your hair the week before your wedding as blunt haircut lines don't hold as well in up-dos. This appointment also allows us to tweak any final ideas. Please bring your veil and any hair accessories with you (if you will be wearing them on the day)

1 week before - Your final hair colour, a luxury treatment but NO HAIRCUT!

The day before your wedding - Your hair will be at its best for styling if it is washed the day before your wedding. We ask that you only use shampoo and conditioner. Strictly NO TREATMENTS, NO STYLING PRODUCTS and naturally dry it or dry on a low heat setting. You must NOT use straightening irons for 2 weeks before your wedding day as this will help any damage repair itself.

On the day - we will come to you or you come to us. This day is all about YOU so relax and enjoy the experience!

If it is a semi-permanent colour that you want we have beautiful shades available from our Wella Color Touch range. Color Touch is Ammonia free and gives 63% more shine in comparison to non-coloured hair.

We use Wella colour to create balayage and ombre as they leave the hair shiny and healthy. The colour is natural looking and lasts.

We only use the finest hair for our hair extensions and have years of experience with many different systems. We use Sway Hair & Hair Rehab London. Our hair extension technicians are all fully qualified.